Cigarette maker



June 14, 1966 G. GAMBERINI 3,255,754

CIGARETTE MAKER Filed March 4, 1963 III// INVENTOR GOFFREDO GAMBERI Nl ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,255,764 (IIGARETTE MAKER Goffredo Gamberini, Bologna, Italy, assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 262,406 Claims priority, application Italy, Mar. 12, 1962, 5,273/ 62 4 Claims. (Cl. 131-110) This invention is a tobacco feeding-carding-distributing unit for automatic cigarette making machines having improved means for separation of tobacco particles which are desirable for use in cigarettes of good quality from other heavier material, such as tobacco stems and randomly occurring foreign items.

The improved separating means comprises two rotating drums each provided with small apertures, one of which is employed to blow the mixture of desired tobacco particles, stems and foreign matter, if any, through a considerable intervening space toward a second drum having an internal suction applied thereto. During passage through the intervening space, the heavier undesirable particles, such as the stems and any heavy random foreign items, are separated by gravity and the force of the blower and fall into a collecting receptacle. The lighter desired tobacco' particles span the full intervening distance and adhere to the suction drum, forming a layer thereon.-

Coacting with the .second, or suction drum, is a tipped rotating roller which picks the layer of desired tobacco particles from the suction drum and projects them upwardly through another relatively long intervening space onto a continuously moving belt whereon a mat of desired particles is formed. The mat delivers them at its output into .a cigarette rod former or Worm forming line as it is otherwise known.

It has been found that, especially When certain types of tobacco are employed, the ultimate cigarette rod is improved by disposing the tipped rotating roller with respect to the suction drum, on which the layer of desired particles is formed, in such a manner that the tipped rotating roller, upon stripping the tobacco particles from the suction drum, projects them upwardly through a rel atively long are onto a continuously moving belt before showering them onto the belt at the input of the rod former. This method of operation has been found to aiford improved uniformity in the distribution of the tobacco in the ultimate cigarette, over a previous method in which the tipped roller, upon stripping the desired tobacco from the suction drum directed it downwardly directly onto the belt at the entrance. to the rod former.

The type of tobacco feed apparatus to which the present invention is most easily adapted is shown in Dearsley 2,795,229 issued June 11, 1957, to which reference is hereby made.

A specific object of the invention is the improvement of a tobacco-feeding-carding-distributing unit for automatic cigarette making machines.

A more specific object of the invention is an improved pneumatic device for selecting desired tobacco particles from tobacco including stems and other impurities.

One object of the present invention is to provide a blower wheel which blows a mixture of desired tobacco particles and undesired tobacco particles, such as stems and other impurities, through an intervening space toward a suction wheel, the spacing, the force of the blowing, and the amount of the suction being coordinated to cause the undesired particles to fall as a result of motion imparted thereto by rotary movement of the wheel, and by gravity before reaching the suction drum.

Another feature of the invention is a suction wheel, and

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a tipped roller coacting with the wheel to remove a layer of desired tobacco particles therefrom, the suction wheel and the roller being so disposed and so rotated, one with relation to the other, that the tobacco particles upon being stripped from the suction wheel are projected upwardly through a relatively long intervening are before being collected on a continuous belt which delivers them to the input of the cigarette rod former.

These and other features of the invention may be understood from the following description when read with reference to the associated drawing which taken together disclose a preferred embodiment in which the invention is presently incorporated. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be incorporated in other embodiments which may be suggested from a consideration of the following description taken with the drawings where- 1n:

The only figure is a schematic section view through the essential elements of the device used in the present invention.

Refer now to the drawing:

At the left is a relatively large carding wheel 1, which receives cut tobacco leaf particles, tobacco stems and randomly occurring foreign material from a source, such as a hopper, not shown, any excess on wheel 1 being removed by refuser, or cleaner, wheel 2, which is provided with a picker wheel 6. The three wheels 1, 2, and 6 and their operation are well understood in the art, The cut tobacco is detached from the large carding drum 1 by means of the tipped detaching roller 7 and passes downwardly toward the right over an inclined slide element 8 which directs it transversely and tangentially over the rotating blower drum 9. Air under pressure is delivered from means, not shown, to the interior of blower drum 9.- Drum 9 is equipped with a shutter, or shoe 10, which prevents the escape of air through the apertures of drum 9 over the sector which shoe 10 covers. The element 8 has an arcuate extension 11 projecting downwardly to the left over a portion of the exterior of drum 9 and closely embraces the periphery of the drum. Secured to the element 11 is an arcuate element 14 spaced from the periphery of drum 9 so as to permit air under pressure to be expelled through this region of the periphery of drum 9. Drum 9 is rotated clockwise as indicated by the arrow.

It is apparent that because of the physical situation of the drum 9, as shown in the drawing, and its angular displacement, that there is eifected a double component of force both upward and downward. The lighter tobacco which is delivered to drum 9 at the upper termination of shoe 10 as shown in the drawing is carried by the upward component of air under pressure toward suction drum 12. As the tobacco nears drum 12, it comes under the influence of suction which is applied to drum 12. The heavier undesired particles, such as stems, fall under the influence of the downward component of the blown air and gravity and of motion imparted thereto by the rotary movement of the drum 9, through tube 15 into hopper 16. The lighter desirable tobacco particles span the full intervening distance and adhere to the surface of suction drum 12. A shield 13, impervious to air, embraces the upper portion of drum 12 and communicates with a source of suction, not shown, through a duct 25. Suction wheel 12, with its adherent layer of desired tobacco particles, is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction. Disposed adjacent suction wheel 12 is a tipped roller 17 which is rotated clockwise. Wheel 12 and wheel 17 are so disposed and so rotated that the desired layer of tobacco, upon being stripped from suction wheel 12, by the roller 17 is projected upwardly and the larger portion of it passes through a relatively long are, indicated by the arrows, and

is distributed, in correlation with its density, along the upper flight of the continuously rotating belt 21. Belt 21 runs over two pulleys 28 and 29 in such a manner that its upper flight moves in the direction from pulley 28 to pulley 29 toward the input to the rod former 19 and after passing over pulley 29, the tobacco is showered through hopper 20 onto conveyor belt 18 of the rod former 19.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for separating the light and heavy particles of tobacco in an automatic cigarette making machine comprising, a first conveyor for transferring a fleece of tobacco, a second conveyor for further transferring tobacco, said second conveyor being spaced from said first conveyor and being adapted to receive tobacco therefrom, a rotating blowing drum having peripheral air outlet means for impelling said tobacco from said first to said second conveyor, said blowing means being adapted to create by its angular displacement a component of travel on the lighter particles of said tobacco in the direction of said second conveyor and a component of travel upon the heavier particles of tobacco away from said conveyor whereby to separate the heavier particles from the lighter particles therefrom.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the second conveyor includes suction means for attracting and adhering tobacco particles to the said second conveyor and said blowing drum being relatively spaced and being arranged to produce upon the lighter particles of tobacco an upward component and upon the heavier particles a downward component of force.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including guide means for directing said tobacco from said first conveyor tangentially on to said rotating blowing drum at an angle to the horizontal.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said second conveyor is a suction drum rotating contrawise to said blowing drum.

* References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,808,795 6/ 1931 Stelzer. 2,795,229 6/1957 Dearsley 131-110 X 3,030,965 4/1963 Labbe 131-1 10 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,217,800 12/1959 France.

266,385 10/1913 Germany. 485,041 10/ 1929 Germany.

0 SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING THE LIGHT AND HEAVY PARTICLES OF TOBACCO IN AN AUTOMATIC CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE COMPRISING, A FIRST CONVEYOR FOR TRANSFERRING A FLEECE OF TOBACCO, A SECOND CONVEYOR FOR FURTHER TRANSFERRING TOBACCO, SAID SECOND CONVEYOR BEING SPACED FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE TOBACCO THEREFROM, A ROTATING BLOWING DRUM HAVING PERIPHERAL AIR OUTLET MEANS FOR IMPELLING SAID TOBACCO FROM SAID FIRST TO SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, SAID BLOWING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO CREATE BY ITS ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT A COMPONENT OF TRAVEL ON THE LIGHTER PARTICLES OF SAID TOBACCO IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR AND A COMPONENT OF TRAVEL UPON THE HEAVIER PARTICLES OF TOBACCO AWAY FROM SAID CONVEYOR WHEREBY TO SEPARATE THE HEAVIER PARTICLES FROM THE LIGHTER PARTICLES THEREFROM. 